A Homewood-Flossmoor High School senior's life ended tragically in the early hours of Sunday morning, following a severe car crash on the Bishop Ford Freeway. Identified as 18-year-old Tom'Mya Lyons, the young woman was ejected from the vehicle during the accident, which occurred around 4:30 a.m. near the Sibley Boulevard ramp. Illinois State Police confirmed the details of the incident, which also involved a 16-year-old boy who was driving the car and was reportedly Lyons' boyfriend.
The Homewood-Flossmoor community is reeling from the loss, and grief counselors were made available to students on Monday to help them cope. "Man she's just got a few weeks until she graduates. Just to see that she's gone is just hard," Lyons' stepfather, Charles Parker, expressed his heartache in a statement obtained by WGN-TV. On Sunday, the school administration sent out a message to students and parents, touching upon the collective grief and offering support during this difficult time. Despite the underlying sadness, the school's principal, Dr. Clinton Alexander, urged the school community to embody strength, compassion, and unity in Lyons' memory.
WGN-TV also reported on Lyons' involvement within her school as a member of the step team. A tragic element to this story is the timing of the accident, occurring just hours after the high school's prom, a day meant for celebration turned somber. Lyons' friend Dylan Kenebrew, who has known her since the sixth grade, remembered her in an interview with ABC7 Chicago as a "beautiful soul" who embodied joy and ambition.
Kenebrew reminisced about how Lyons looked during prom night, "She had on this bright blue dress; that's why we all got on blue. This bright blue dress, her hair was all curly. She looked good. She didn't even get to make it home. She didn't get to take off her dress," he said. Calumet City Ald. Dr. Monet S. Wilson shared a statement offering condolences and prayers for Lyons' family and the entire school community, emphasizing the impact of the loss on everyone touched by Lyons. Homewood-Flossmoor High School continues to offer resources for its students as they navigate through their grief.
